Tag: NASA

NASA’s Dragonfly Mission Will Send A Drone To Saturn’s Moon In Search For Life

The National Aeronautics and Space Association (NASA) of the United States has announced a new mission called Dragonfly. This mission will send multiple sorties or drone-like aircraft to the Titan, one of Saturn’s natural satellites. The icy celestial body is the largest moon of Saturn and the second largest natural satellite in the solar system. It is also the only moon to have a dense atmosphere, which is why the Dragonfly mission is being sent to study clues of life.

NASA’s Dragonfly Mission

The Dragonfly Mission by NASA is scheduled to launch in the year 2026 and will take eight years to reach Titan in 2034. The rotorcrafts or drones will fly to dozens of locations on the satellite to look for prebiotic chemical processes, which are a link between Titan and Earth. It will mark the first time the organization will fly a multi-rotor vehicle on another celestial body. This device is claimed to have eight rotors and will fly like a normal drone or UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). The moon is credited to have four times the dense atmosphere than of Earth; which will be taken advantage of by Dragonfly in flying its science equipment payload to new places for repeatable access to materials on the surface.

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The icy moon of Saturn is claimed to be the analogic representation of prehistoric Earth. During the 2.7 years long Mission Dragonfly, it will explore different environment factors; to search for the possibility of life. It is said that that the key to life once existed on Titan tens of thousands of years ago. So while the mission may or may not find the existence and sustenance of life there, it is said to give us the chemical evidence of the past or extant life on the moon.

June 28, 2019
NASA To Test Safer, More Efficient Green Fuel For Spacecraft

The human race has seen drastic advancements in space exploration over the last five decades. However, humans missions still remain few and far between. The reason for that is considered to be the fuel used in the missions. Until now, most missions to space have used hydrazine, which is a dangerous and toxic chemical for humans to use and handle. Handling the colourless liquid requires some very strict safety precautions. Now, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States has announced that it is planning on testing a new fuel for spacecraft. Dubbed the Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) it uses a non-toxic, rose coloured solution that can be a breakthrough in space exploration.

About the fuel

The GIPM is a spacecraft which will use the aforementioned fuel to power the mission. The fuel in question is a “green” mix of hydroxylammonium nitrate with an oxidizer that assists it in burning. It is considered safe enough to fuel the spacecraft while it is still being built, which will fast forward the launch. Apart from being safer, the newest chemical is also significantly more powerful than hydrazine. According to NASA, the newer fuel will offer up to 50 percent better performance. This boost in efficiency can either be used by travelling more distance in an equivalent amount of hydrazine; or by reducing the amount of fuel required in a spacecraft.

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If the GIPM by NASA is successful in justifying the need for the new type of fuel; it could pave way for longer, more resource intensive missions like sending humans to Mars or Moon. The aforementioned mission by NASA, GPIM is scheduled to launch in June on board a Falcon Heavy Rocket by SpaceX. This is the same mission carrying the LightSail 2 project which is being conducted to demonstrate controlled solar sailing.

June 11, 2019
NASA Plans On Sending “Gateway” Space Station To Orbit The Moon

The Vice President of the United States of America, Mike Pence has announced a program that once again wants to take humans to the surface of the moon by the year 2024. This prompts NASA to swing into action to make this Herculean task a reality. The space agency gave out a contract to a company to start off with the foundations of a small space station to put into the Moons orbit.

The power and propulsion systems of the space station will be built by a Colorado-based company called Maxar and the orbital outpost has been named Gateway. Unlike the Apollo missions that focused on directly landing on the moon surface, Nasa plans on building Gateway for its future lunar missions, named Artemis, from the moon’s orbit.

The Gateway will reportedly house numerous astronauts alongside their respective tools and gears, including vehicles that would shift to and fro from the space station and the lunar surface. The space station will act as the central hub for any lunar based mission for the purpose of research or even scouting for a habitable zone.

The White House has requested a budget increase to $1.6 billion to make for the 2024 deadline. It is yet to be stated what the overall cost of the entire program would encompass. The opposing party (Democrats) have been vocal on the many inconsistencies in the reports presented thus far and the vague nature of the mission that leaves many questions unanswered.

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The last mission that had sent a human to the moon was the Apollo 17, almost 47 years ago (7th December 1972). The lunar space station in a positive light will almost certainly be a host for individuals of varying fields from different nationalities all which could, in theory, lead to habitable lunar colonies.

May 24, 2019
NASA is Planning to Send Women To The Moon, Mission To Be Called Artemis

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the US is planning to get women to the surface of the moon by the year 2024. In light of recent reports, it has been declared that the mission will be named Artemis, after the Greek Goddess of the Moon. This lines up perfectly with the fact that the first moon missions were named Apollo, after the Greek God of Sun and Light. NASA’s famous Apollo Missions introduced the Moon’s surface to the first men who walked on it, namely Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969.

NASA Administrator stated that it is very fortunate that after almost 50 years after the first moon mission, the Artemis program will carry the next man and the first ever woman to the surface of the moon. He further added that within the next five years, the milestone will most likely be successfully shattered.

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NASA announced the name of the mission report on May 13 2019, shortly after it unveiled its updated budget request for touching down on the moon by 2024. The program is still in its early stages. Reportedly, NASA has been working on space vehicles and capsules for a long time now, and even though they have not been occupied by any astronauts till date, NASA will commence test runs soon. A lot of new hardware, such as Lunar Landers are also being manufactured for the Artemis mission, which will soon become a reality.

May 18, 2019
NASA To Crash A Spacecraft Into An Asteroid In 2022

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA is a well-known space organisation; and an independent agency of the United States. In a world first, it has announced the Double Asteroid Redirection Test or the DART Mission. It is a defence driven mission aimed at preventing the impact on Earth by a potentially hazardous asteroid in the future. In the DART mission, NASA will send a spacecraft to crash into an asteroid in the year 2022.

NASA DART Mission

The DART Spacecraft

The NASA DART Mission, as mentioned above, aims at sending a spacecraft to crash into an asteroid called Didymos to test the planetary defences of Earth. In the details revealed on the organisation’s official website, it is known the mission will be the first time the kinetic impactor technique is demonstrated. The technique will try to change the motion or path of the asteroid in space. The DART mission has swiftly reached Phase C and is managed under NASA’s Solar System Exploration Program at Marshal Space Flight Center for the organisation’s Planetary Defence Coordination Office.

Didymos Asteroid

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The DART spacecraft launch is scheduled for late July 2021 aboard the Falcon 9 rocket made by SpaceX. It will launch from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, California and is expected to intercept with the Didymos asteroid in late September of the year 2022. Noteworthy, the asteroid will be within a distance of 11 million kilometres from Earth at the time and poses no harm to the planet in any way. While the mission seems far fetched at first, its real-world application may be very important in the future. If the mission is successful, Earth will have gained the ability to fend off incoming threats from outer space like asteroids or meteorites. This has the potential of minimising or saving the planet from damage in case of any potential collision.

May 11, 2019
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Marks Yet Another Significant Achievement

SpaceX’s “test crew” aboard the Dragon Capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean on March 8, 7:15 pm IST (8:45 am EST) after spending almost a week at the ISS (International Space Station). The company has proven that its “Dragon” capsule can survive a full-fledged trip to space and back. The next step on the list is to send astronauts to space now that the capsule has proven its worth, the company states.

The touchdown of the Dragon capsule was the last part of SpaceX’s Demonstration – 1 mission. The reason why the mission was of utmost importance is NASA’s upcoming Commercial Crew Program, under which the agency is planning to send NASA astronauts to a USA owned spacecraft. So, the SpaceX DM1 was basically a test run to prove that it is capable of space travel, and it struck off as “better than expected” as per SpaceX and NASA representatives.

Liftoff And Docking

The demonstration’s first step took place at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, where the capsule was placed on SpaceX’s very own Falcon 9 rocket. At 1:19 pm IST (2:49 am EST) on March 2, liftoff happened, and the DM1 made its way towards the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon then auto-docked with a port on the station, something that had never been achieved by SpaceX previously.

Undocking And Reentry

Out of the three main stages of the mission, two were a complete success, which included the liftoff and the docking. The biggest challenge of the DM1 mission was the splashdown, which had to demonstrate that the capsule carrying cargo (and humans, in the future) can safely penetrate the earth’s atmosphere and land safely where it was intended to. At 1:02 pm IST (2:32 am EST), the Crew Dragon undocked from the ISS and started preparations for its descent to earth. The Crew Dragon ignited its thrusters for a period of 15 minutes to leave its orbit and began its descent to earth.

The capsule exceeded the speed of sound while falling to the earth’s surface. After minutes of intense heating, the Crew dragon deployed four parachutes and gently “splashed down” in the Atlantic ocean, 200+ nautical miles away from the coast of Florida. SpaceX’s recovery boat, Go Searcher collected the capsule and will bring it back to the shore for further tests.

Also Read: SpaceX Test Fires A Huge New Engine For Their Next Rocket

The company will also perform another “Emergency Abort System” test, which is supposed to help save the onboard crew if anything goes wrong. The capsule would be fitted with external engines that can fire as soon as a failure is detected, taking the capsule away from the disintegrating rocket. As per reports, the Crew Dragon capsule will again be used for this mission, which is scheduled for April 2019. If everything goes as per expectations, a manned mission can be planned in 2019 itself, the company representatives stated.

March 9, 2019
India May Send A Female Astronaut To Space In Their First Manned Mission : Says ISRO

India has made much headway in space exploration as well as space research in general. From Space Capsule Recovery Experiment Mission SRE-1 in 2007 to Mars Orbiter Spacecraft launch in 2013, ‘Chandrayaan-1’ launch in 2008 and many more achievements have left a mark on space exploration as a whole. When the entire world is opposing space exploration, citing budget problems, ISRO has remained one of the most budget efficient space research organisation.

[blockquote]ISRO’s budget was just three per cent of that of NASA’s Budget in 2010[/blockquote]

Chandrayaan-1

Almost ten years after the Chandrayan-1, ISRO has decided on a window for the date of Chandrayan-2 launch. They had earlier set the date at January 3rd but were forced to change as they missed the deadline. ISRO has also set a target for two unmanned missions to space in December 2020 and July 2021, and the target for a manned mission to space in December 2021.

What ISRO Said

ISRO recently also stated that a woman astronaut could be a part of the first manned spacecraft that India sends to space. The ISRO chief also stated that the initial training for Gaganyaan will be done in India. Further advanced training maybe conducted in Russia. The prospect of Gangayan carrying women astronauts is extremely forward and can become an inspiration for many women in India. Kalpana Chawla was the first female of Indian origin to go to space. She was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. In that disaster the aircraft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere in 2003.

[blockquote]I would say if you have a dream, follow it. It doesn’t really matter whether you are a woman or from India or from wherever. – Kalpana Chawla [/blockquote]

The Gaganyaan will carry a three-member crew for a minimum of seven days in space. The total cost of India’s indigenous human spaceflight will be Rs 10,000 crore. ISRO has also said that the option for civilian inclusion in the mission will also be open. They further added that the selection will be stringent for the first mission but it might be relaxed for the second and third. It is also worth noting that the Union cabinet has already approved the Gaganyaan programme.

January 12, 2019
Elon Musk Shows Off First Photo Of SpaceX Space Suit

After SpaceX’s successful Falcon 9 rocket launch, Elon Musk posted a picture of his SpaceX space suit on Instagram. The image was shared via his official Instagram handle, confirming that the picture was not a mockup, but an actual shot of a fully functional suit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYIPmEFAIIn/

According to SpaceX’s CEO the suit actually works, and can withstand double the pressure of the vacuum of space. Taking cue from Boeing’s new spacesuit for its first commercial crewed space missions, the Space X space suit is designed to look svelte and tight to the body. As compared to other spacesuits, Elon Musk has emphasised on style with spacey white accents and lines on the suit.

Musk acknowledged that it was “incredibly hard” to get the right balance between the suit’s look and its function. Although, not specified, SpaceX suits are obviously meant to be worn by astronauts for safe travels inside the company’s Dragon Capsule. The pressure suits aren’t meant for space walks. Instead, are worn by astronauts during transport in case the capsule depressurizes. Once the SpaceX starts launching people to and from the International Space Station, these suits will be worn by NASA astronauts for the commercial crew program.

Not much have been divulged in terms of spacesuit detail, but Musk has promised follow up details including a full-body view reveal and many more images.

August 23, 2017
NASA’s 3D Printed Rocket Engine Produces 20,000 Pounds of Thrust

NASA has now officially created a rocket made out of 3-D printed parts. Once filled with hydrogen and oxygen, the rocket produces 20,000 pounds of thrust and generates spectacular flames.

Sources reveal that NASA has been working on 3-D printed rockets for a while now, but this specific rocket engine is the first of its kind; 75% of its parts are 3-D printed -the highest percentage so far. Check out the video below which shows the rocket engine producing impressive amounts of fire. The video shows that the fire from the engine lasts for as long as ten seconds.

3-D printed components of a rocket have some clear advantages like it helps to build complex parts using a relatively simple process of laser-sintering at NASA. This means that components which would have otherwise taken years to build can now be built within a few months. Additionally, engineers can now also build parts as a single unit instead of working on them separately.

On the other hand, one of the apprehensions against 3-D printed parts is that they are not as sturdy as their counterparts. However, being subjected to extremely hostile conditions have revealed no such flaw and the components have performed beautifully. Here’s another video to help you appreciate the awesomeness of 3-D printed components.

Are you Team 3D printing or not then?

December 19, 2015
Jupiter’s moon Ganymede has a Hidden Saline Ocean, Confirms NASA

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has been working restlessly since its inception to find traces of water in our Solar system and the infinite universe. It has now been found that Jupiter’s largest moon Ganymede has been hiding something under its surface that might make it a prime contender for a life harbouring heavenly body.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has made some observations that indicate the existence of an underground saltwater ocean. According to the US government agency, the subterranean ocean might have more water than the total water on the earth. An evidence of water on a heavenly body puts a tick ahead of one requisite component in the list for habitable worlds beyond Earth.

An aurora was spotted by NASA’s Space telescope that indicates the existence of water on the surface of Ganymede (the largest moon in the Solar System, and the only satellite to have a magnetic field of its own). An aurora is formed when charged particles interact with the magnetic field of any heavenly body. It is the glowing ribbons of charged particles that interact with its surrounding atmosphere. On earth these aururae are also known as Northern Lights.

It’s not just the aurorae that pointed out the presence of water on Ganymede, but the change in the behaviour of aurorae that can be caused by the existence of water. It was found that aurorae stayed in a stable position because of a salty, electrically conductive ocean. Had there been no water at its surface, the aurorae would have rocked back and forth. The observations by Hubble were done in UV light.

It is an essentially and important find, but the moon which is about the size of Mars, cannot be considered as an important place for further exploration. It is learnt that the saltwater ocean is around 100 miles deep below the outer crust of ice. Below the saline ocean lies the ice mantle that is then followed by rocky mantle and iron core. With present technologies, it would be impractical to make robots dig 100 miles below the upper crust, which is further separated from Saline Ocean through layers of ice.

Meanwhile, the Hubble project partner ESA (European Space Agency) will continue to conduct science operations. The agency will take a closer look at the other moons of Jupiter Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Europa is also one of the prime candidates for hosting liquid water which is crucial for hosting life. We won’t know for sure about the existence of life on this bodies unless we send a probe there but considering the low investment in the field of space research, it might be a while before we get there. Maybe its about time we cut down on the massive defence spending and use it to further our adventures in space.

March 13, 2015
Dragon Brings Back The First 3D Printed Tools From Space

3D printing is the ultimate technology revolution. It will give people the ability to create, customize and print out almost anything they need. One major arena, where the technology will bring immense convenience, is space travel. Instead of storing a massive inventory of tools and supplies, the astronauts can just print out what they require, when they need it. The testing of 3D printers capabilities in space is underway at the International Space Station(ISS). Now the tools made in space are being brought back to earth for research purposes.

The tools are being brought back to Earth in SpaceX’s Dragon spaceship in its fifth resupply mission. These tools will help the researchers understand the nitty gritty of printing in space. After heavy study, the researchers will validate if the technology is dependable for long duration human flights like a trip to Mars.

Zero-G Printer from Made in Space was used to create these the tools at the ISS.

The Zero-G printer experiments are a joint project between Nasa and Made in Space. It uses a low-temperature plastic stock. To finish the experimental phase at the ISS, a ratchet wrench was printed, and the designs were fed to the printer directly from the ground station. The lessons learnt from this research will help to further strengthen the utility of 3D printing in the microgravity of space.

3D printing will make access to travel more accessible and economical. Nasa is already testing the technology for creating essential engine bits for its rockets. The technology surely will have a bigger role to play in the field of space travel in the coming future

February 19, 2015
NASA’s Orion, The Spacecraft Capable of Carrying Humans Gets a Lift-Off

It has been a long, long while since the human species have left the confines of the planet and its lower Earth orbit. During the peak of space-age, the folks thought we could reach Mars by the 80s, but it is 2014 and our biggest achievement on the red planet is landing an SUV size robot to further our “Curiosity” about the planet. But now we are ready to take the next step. Today, the long-awaited test flight of the Orion spacecraft was finally scheduled after the cancellation yesterday because of some technical issues. As of 05:35PM IST(7.05am ET) the spacecraft has made a successful launch atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket, and will orbit the earth for a four-and-a-half-hour duration.

The launch live streamed on NASA TV, and it relayed some spell-bounding visuals of Earth from the spacecraft. The spacecraft will travel to a distance 5,800km above the surface of Earth. No astronaut capable spaceship has gone this far in decades.

The mission will be testing the capabilities of the spaceship to reach deep space while preserving the lives of the precious human cargo inside it. There is a lot of radiation in the interplanetary space which we are spared from, thanks to the natural shield that the earth has around it, which makes it life compatible. This flight will assess if the 16ft wide heat shield and the protection will prevent the pernicious radiation from seeping in and causing harm to the astronauts during their long journey to Mars. Nasa will also test the emergency abort function which can save the lives of the astronauts on board in case of a faulty launch.

The spacecraft while returning back to earth will travel at a blazing speed of 27359 km/h. The capsule will then separate and return to earth and will drop into the Pacific by the coast of southern California. While returning to earth, it will face scorching temperatures of about 2,200 degree Celsius. There are more than 1000 sensors on board that will constantly analyze the health status of the craft. While falling towards the ocean, the craft will deploy three massive parachutes that will slow it down before its deep impact in the ocean.

Orion can carry up to six astronauts on an interplanetary voyage.

The unmanned mission does carry some human elements inside. Nasa has packed in a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, poems by Maya Angelou, Gustav Holst’s The Planets and many artifacts from the TV program Sesame Street.

The test flight costs $375 million which is about five times the cost of India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, though it’s an imprecise comparison. NASA has planned for a second test flight for 2018 and a possible orbital mission to the Moon in the 2020s. If everything goes right, Orion could be our ride to the red planet and maybe some Asteroids in the 2030s.

We are species who need a horizon to grow. This sedentary life of jobs, living in the city, mass consumerism has become boring. Mars is our next horizon. At heart we are wanderers and having conquered planet Earth; it’s time to look up, and it’s great to see NASA stand up to the promise it was set up on. The agency has battled severe budget cuts and an unfriendly legislative body to reach its goal. NASA is a commendable organization, and it should be applauded for getting ready to take the next step in the human journey. Now all we need to do is not destroy ourselves fighting unnecessary wars, instead spending those resources in science and furthering the interests of us, the Earthlings as a whole.

December 5, 2014
NASA Starts its SoundCloud by Sharing Some Epic Moments in Space History

We all love the outer space. It has enticed us since childhood and everyone who came before us. But it wasn’t until recently that we could finally soar above the surface of the planet and bid adieu its atmosphere and stare at the great expanse. One agency that takes most credit for helping humankind cross this frontier is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration aka NASA. Now NASA just tuned into SoundCloud and has released, what can be called a space nerds ultimate audio fantasy.

It has released some of the most symbolic recordings in its tryst with space travel.

Here’s the sound from the first man-made object in space called Sputnik. The people who launched it wouldn’t have imagined it leading to a communication infrastructure that runs the world of today. These are one of the most iconic beeps ever heard.

The first one is from the moment during the flight of Apollo 13 when the oxygen tank exploded. The crew made a heroic survival in the harshest of conditions known to man to return back to their home planet.

These one’s have to be the saddest of all; they mark the end of the epic voyages of the Space Shuttle programs.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/172461628″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Space is silent, the almost vaccum makes it impossible for sound to travel. But radio waves are everywhere. They are transmitted by activities of the heavenly bodies including earth. Nasa’s space probes have recorded the radio signals from the planets. Here’s what Cassini heard on Saturn.

Voyager is the ultimate space probe. It launched in the September of 1977 with a mission to study the outer planets, the gas giants. Its primary mission ended in 1980 but it kept going on and still continues to go on. Here is some of what is heard during its legendary voyage.

And at last, this is a message from the Stars. The sound we hear travel thousands or millions of years before it reached us. It may have left its host star even before humanity existed. This message truly travelled in time.

If you are crazy about outer space as we are, then go out to Nasa’s Soundcloud page and it surely will create a sense of nostalgia that will engulf you.

October 22, 2014
3D Printing’s Greatest Achievement, NASA Creates Rocket Engine Injector

3D printing is one of the most beneficial technologies out there and it is all set to bring immense comfort to our lives in the coming decades. It is a process through which one can create three-dimensional objects in which successive layers of material are laid down under computer control. NASA pushed the limits of this technology and decided to create one of the most complex parts of a rocket engine, and then they tested the prototype. What happened next will blow your mind.

At a test stand at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, scientist tested out a design with a new manufacturing process. The design was fed into the computer and then manufactured layer by layer in a 3D printer. The process involved layering metal powder and fusing it together with a laser, a process known as selective laser melting.

3D Printing will make Space travel immensely convenient.

This injector design was similar to the ones that are used in small rocket engines. It is also close to the design of the RS-25 engine which will power the Space Launch System (SLS), which will be the biggest rocket ever built. The entire injector was created as a single component instead of manufacturing each element individually. In traditional processes, about 163 individual parts are made and then assembled for this extremely complex equiment. This process is economical, both money and time wise.

NASA engineers tested out two designs for five seconds each, and they produced 20,000 pounds of thrust. They performed as per the expectations. The 3D printing process afforded the engineers the convenience of building parts that enhance the performance of the rocket engine. They created geometric flow patterns that allowed oxygen and hydrogen to swirl together before combusting at 1,400 pounds per square inch and temperatures up to 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

For this initiative, NASA took the assistance of two private companies, Solid Concepts in Valencia, California, and Directed Manufacturing in Austin, Texas. Both companies were responsible for printing out one injector for testing.

NASA now plans to test out the feasibility of additive manufacturing process in the entire manufacturing process of a rocket engine. They have already tried complex injectors and other components through 3D printing process, and are impressed by the speed at which the components are manufactured and the ease of testing these components. The technology will make space travel a lot more convenient too. Instead of taking huge cargo of equipments, astronauts can simply print out the tools they need, thereby being independent of the earth base. 3D printing, by the looks of it, is here to stay, and this technology is capable of changing the world.

September 3, 2014
NASA Tested a No-Fuel Microwave Based Thruster, and it Worked!

NASA scientists tested a new theoretical thruster model and too their surprise, the model works. Nasa has been working on a lot of propulsion and thruster models to make space flight cheaper, faster and more convenient. Currently reaching space is still a high-investment-high-risk affair. The new model shows hopes that we may have the answers to our woes closer than we thought.

The paper submitted earlier this week at a conference in Cleveland, scientists from NASA’s Eagleworks Laboratories in Houston, Texas, presented a paper which indicated that they had achieved small levels of thrust from a container which contained no traditional fuels. So what generated the trust? The answer is Microwaves bouncing all about the container. Now this is interesting development. Apparently NASA didn’t have a lot of trust in these thrusters and this is more of an accidental find.

The model is called Cannae Drive. The thought behind the model is to allow multiple microwaves free to bounce end to end in a specially designed container. The container is shaped in an uneven pattern which aids in the dispersion of the microwaves.

The Cannae Drive might also make satellites more efficient.

The Cannae Drive experiment is just at the beginning stage and there is no knowledge yet if it can be scaled up to power spaceships. Though it is estimated that if it becomes fully functional, the distance between Earth and Mars can be covered in terms of a few weeks instead of the several months it takes now. It will also make satellites more efficient and easier to manage.

But by now you might be asking that this sounds too good to be true. Well there are a couple of issues with the technique. NASA’s team had built two Cannae Drives, one of which was designed to fail, and instead it worked. The scientists indicated their surprise find by writing in their paper abstract: “Thrust was observed on both test articles, even though one of the test articles was designed with the expectation that it would not produce thrust.” That suggests the drive is “producing a force that is not attributable to any classical electromagnetic phenomenon.” They are assuming that the interaction is occurring in the quantum vacuum, which is the lowest energetic state. The scientists don’t have much evidence to support their idea yet.

The Cannae drive is a close enough idea to a technique called ‘Emdrive’ which has been tested by Argentine and Chinese scientists. The Emdrive trials have proved successful in small scale models.

Space travel needs a constant heavy intellectual interest and innovative ideas that have never been tried before. Experiments like this show how ignorant we still are to the massive potential nature can offer us to further our sciences. Sometimes the greatest inventions are made when we least expect them.

August 2, 2014